Power-transmitting device for machine tools



July ll, 1961` A. s. CHARLAT POWER-TRANSMITTING DEVICE FOR MACHINE TOOLS Filed Nov. 20, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. l

INVENTOR @MMM 5.- t BY gama Mf/zwmf ATTORNEY July 11, 1961 A. s CHARLAT 2,991,666

POWER-TRANSMITTING DEVICE FOR MACHINE TOOLS Filed NOV. 20, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fae. 2l

INVENTOR ATTO R N EY;

July 11, 1961 A. s. cHARLAT 2,991,666 POWER-TRANSMITTING DEVICE FOR MACHINE TOOLS Filed Nov. 2o, 195e 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEY 2,991,666 POWER-TRANSIVHTEING DEVICE FR MACHINE TOOLS Arnold S. Charlat, Norwalk, Conn., assigner, by messie assignments, to Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Company, Providence, RJ., a corporation of ode Island Filed Nov. 20, 1958, Ser. No. 775,302 11 Claims. (Cl. 77-25) This invention relates to machine tools, such as machines employed for drilling, t-apping, boring, and like operations, and is concerned more particularly with a novel power-transmitting device for use in such a machine for connecting the tool to the main spindle of the machine to be driven thereby. The device makes possible the quick connection and disconnection of the tool holder from the spindle and, when the device is operative with the connection established, the tool holder is so firmly secured to the spindle that slippage and looseness in the connection are minimized, even though the operation performed with the tool imposes a heavy load on the connection. The new device may be employed to special advantage in a machine equipped with means for handling a plurality of tools and presenting them selectively to the main spindle for connection thereto and a machine so equipped will, accordingly, be illustrated and described in detail for purposes of explanation.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings, in which- FIG. l is a View, partly in vertical section and partly in elevation, of a machine tool which has a turret for handling a plurality of tools yand is equipped with the power-transmitting device of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. l but showing the device in operative condition;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. l but showing a modified construction;

FIG. 4 is a View similar to FIG. 3 but showing the device in inoperative condition; and

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the fluid connections to the device shown in FIG. 3.

The machine shown in FIGS. l and 2 includes a column rising from a base and supporting a table and a housing extending over the table, these parts being of conventional construction. A quill is mounted in the housing for vertical movement and its lower end projects below the bottom of the lower part 11 of the housing. The m-ain drive spindle 12 of the machine is mounted in the quill for rotation in bearings, of which parts of the lower bearings 13 only are shown, and a nut 14 threaded on the spindle supports a retainer ring 15 on which the inner race of the lowermost of the bearings y13 rests.

The lower end section 12a of the spindle is formed with a taper and has a transverse slot l12b across its lower end. A driving member 16 is mounted on the spindle and it is formed with a bore 17 receiving the tapered end section 12a of the spindle with a tight tit. The driving member is held against the spindle end section by a nut 13 which engages an extension at the top of the member and is threaded on the spindle, and the member carries a transverse pin 19 lying within the slot 12b at the end of the spindle and preventing rotational movement of the member relative to the spindle.

The driving member 16 is preferably of the construction disclosed in my co-pending application Ser. No. 613,932, iiled October 4, 1956, which issued as Patent No. 2,866,530, and it is formed with an inwardly tapered recess 20 at its lower end and with a plurality of bores 21 extending parallel to and offset from its axis and intersecting the surface of the recess 20 at their lower ends. A pin 22 disposed in each bore is urged by a spring 23 toward the lower end of its bore, so that a part of each pin is exposed within the recess 20.

A sleeve 24 is threaded into the lower end of the quill and supports the outer race of the lowermost bearing 13. Beyond the end of the quill, a piston 25 is attached to the sleeve, the piston being sealed in the cylinder as by having a peripheral slot, in which a resilient O-ring 26 is disposed. The piston encircles the spindle below the nut 14 and a resilient oil seal ring 27 is disposed between the piston and the spindle.` A seal ring 28 is also interposed between the inner surface of the quill and the outer surface of the sleeve 24.

In the machine illustrated, the support for tools is a turret comprising a hollow head 29 having a neck 30, on which a tool holder carrier 3d is mounted for rotation on bearings 32. The head is formed to provide a cham-- ber extending inward from its upper end and a cylinder' 33 is mounted within the chamber to enclose the piston'l 25 with a sliding it, The cylinder has an opening at its lower end through which the driving member 16 ex tends, and, at its upper end, the cylinder is formed with an internal flange 34 which surrounds the quill and fits its: outer surface snugly, the Iliange and quill bein-g sealed by a ring 35. The cylinder is also provided with an external flange 36 at its upper end which is seated in a groove in the head and is held in place by screws 37.

The tool holder carrier is formed with a circular series of openings, in each of which a tool holder 38 in the form of a rotary spindle is mounted in a housing 39 containing an yanti-friction bearing 40. The lower race 40a of the bearing has a lower surface of spherical contour and rests upon a seat of similar shape on a ring 41. Each tool holder projects into the housing and its inner end 38a serves as a driven member and is formed with a tapered surface corresponding to that in the recess 20 of' the driving member 16. The tapered surface of eachv driven member is also formed with slots 38b, in whichthe pins 22 of the driving member may be received.

in the form of a coil the ange 34. As quill, the opposite directions with the turret urged upwardly, sot that the driven member 38b on the tool spindle in effective position and axially aligned with the main spindle: 12 will enter the driving member 16 and establish a; driving connection between the main spindle and the tool spindle. Initially, this connection depends upon the tight ft of the tapered surfaces of the driving and driven members but, if slippage between the members occurs, the pins 22 on the driving member, which are ordinarily forced upwardly into their bores, will enter the slots 38h of the driven member and stop such slippage. As the weight of the tool support and the tool spindles and tools carried thereby is borne` by the spring, the force of the spring tending to maintain the connection between the driving member and the driven member of the tool in effective position may be inadequate for the purpose, particularly when the tool, such as the tool 43, is used for boring operation-s. In the new power-transmitting device, the -action of the spring is, accordingly, supplemented by fluid-operated means, preferably pneumatic.

The pneumatic means include an air passage 44 formed through the wall of the housing and leading to a passage 45 through the wall of the cylinder into the space above the piston 25, the cylinder 33 being sealed in the turret. head above and below the passage by rings 46 to avoid senese extends up through a bore in the machine housing l11. The tube 47 prevents the housing 29 from rotational movement relative to the quill and the upper end of the tube within the machine housing 11 is connected by a flexible connection to a supply of air under pressure. The ilow of air through the passage to and from the cylinder is controlled by a conventional three-way valve 4S having an operating plunger 48a and the valve is mounted on the machine housing il with its plunger in position to be operated by engagement with the top of the turret head 29 when the quill is raised. The valve is normally biased to permit the flow of air from the supply through the tube 48 and the passages 44 and 45 into the cylinder above the piston but, when the plunger 48a is in raised position as shown in FIG. l, the valve cuts oi the flow of air from the supply to the cylinder and permits the 'air within the cyilnder to escape.

When a tool change is to be made, the quill is raised until the top of the turret head 29 first moves the valve plunger 48a to cause valve 48 to let air escape from the cylinder and then engages the lower part of the machine housing il. Upon further upward movement of the quill with the upward movement of the turret arrested, the driving member 16 on the main spindle is raised out of contact with the driven member 38a of the tool spindle carrying the tool previously in use and, in such continued upward movement of the quill, the spring 42 is compressed. When the driving and driven members have been completely separated, the tool spindle carrier 31 is rotated by its hand wheel t9 or other means to place in effective Vposition the tool spindle carrying the tool to be used in the next operation and the quill is then lowered. During the initial part of such downward movement, the spring 42 expands to hold the turret head against the machine housing di and the eiect is to move the turret upwardly along the quill. This relative movement of the quill and the turret causes the driven member 38a of the tool spindle in effective position to engage the driving member l16 and, when the quill has been moved downward a suicient distance, the top of the turret head 29 moves out of contact with the housing 11 and the plunger 48a of the air valve 48. :The valve then operates to permit air from the supply to flow into the cylinder above the piston. The force of the air acting on the piston 25 and the flange 34 then supplements the force of the spring in urging the turret and quill in opposite directions and holding the driven member of the elective tool spindle more tightly in contact with the driving member. When the operation with the selected tool has been com pleted and a new tool is to be used, the quill is again raised and the sequence of operations above described is repeated.

In the new power-transmitting device in the form above described, the connection between the main spindle land the tool holder through the mating tapered surfaces on the driving and driven members may be established wholly by the action of the spring or, by placing the valve 48 so that its plunger is released before the surfaces have completely mated, the action of the spring may be supplemented by the fluid under pressure. As the surfaces move together, their mating is facilitated by the selfcentering action of the tool holder resulting from its being supported by a bearing on a spherical seat. During the use of the tool, the connection between the members is maintained by the combined forces of the spring and the lluid. When the driving and driven members are to be separated, as in changing tools, the quill is raised by the operator and the iuid is rst released, after which the spring is compressed. Since the tools may be frequently changed, the spring must not be so strong as to cause undue fatigue of the operator in compressing it.-

In some operations, such as drilling, the forces applied to the tool are substantially axial and assist in maintaining the connection between the driving and driven members. A spring of insuiiicient strength to fatigue the operator would of itself be capable of maintaining the connection between the driving and driven members during many such operations but, in boring operations, the forces applied to the tool are largely lateral and have a torque component. Such forces may be of such magnitude that, if the connection were maintained only by the spring, the forces would unseat the tapered surfaces with resultant damage to the parts and destruction to the accuracy of the operation. In the new device, the total force Iapplied by the spring and the lluidoperated means for holding the driving and driven members together may be many times as great as that of the spring alone and the likelihood of unseating the tapered surfaces is minimized. At the same time, the desired result is obtained without the use of a spring of such strength as to cause operator fatigue in tool changing.

in the modified form of the new power-transmitting device illustrated in FIGS. 3-5, incl., the main spindle Sil is mounted for rotation in la quill 51 in bearings, of which a part of the lowerrnost bearings 52 only is shown. The quill is mounted against movement in a housing 53 of the machine and, near its lower end, carries a piston 54 similar to t-he piston 18 and similarly mounted on the quill. Below the piston, a driving member 55 is attached to the end of the spindle 50 by a nut 56. The driving member SS is similar in construction to the driving men` ber 16 and it has a similar internal tapered surface. The piston S4 lies Within a cylinder 57 mounted in the hollow head 53 of a turret. At its upper end, the cylinder has an internal flange 59 encircling the quill and sealed thereto by a seal ring 60 and, at its lower end, the cylinder has an internal ilange fitting the driving member 5S with a sliding lit and sealed thereto by a seal ring 61. A tiuid line e2 is connected to a fitting 63 threaded into the end of a passage 64, which extends through the wall of the head 53 and the wall of the cylinder into the space within the cylinder above the piston. A second fluid line 65 is connected to a litting 66 threaded into the end of a passage 67 which extends through the walls of the head and cylinder into the space within the cylinder below the piston. The lines 62, 65 are connected to asource of fluid under pressure through aconventional valve 68, by which either line may be connected to the supply with the other line connected to an exhaust receptacle.

The head SS is provided with a neck 69, on which a tool holder carrier 70 is mounted to rotate on bearings 7i, and the carrier is formed with a circular series of openings, in each of which a tool holder 72 i-n the form of a rotary spindle is mounted in a housing 73 similar to the housing 39 and containing an anti-friction bearing supporting the tool holder and resting on a spherical seat. The inner end ot each tool spindle serves as a driven member 74 and is formed with an external tapered surface adapated to mate with the internal tapered surface of the driving member S5.

In the use of the device in its modified form, the connec-tion between the driving and driven members on the main spindle and on the tool spindle axially aligned therewith is established and maintained by fluid under pressure introduced above the piston and tending to move the turret upwardly along the quill. During rthe performance of an operation, such as a boring operation performed by the tool 75 in etfective position, the workpiece is ad vanced toward the tool as the operation progresses and is retracted, when [the operation is completed, or the workpiece may remain stationary and the housing 53 may be moved toward and away from the workpiece. When a change in tools is to be made, the valve 68 is turned 90 in either direction, and lthis connects the supply ofuid under pressure to the cylinder below the piston S4 and, at the same time, connects the space within the cylinder above the piston to the exhaust receptacle. The incoming fluid moves the turret to the position shown in FIG. 4, in which the driving and driven members are separated and the tool holder carrier can be rotated to bring the tool for the next operation into alignment with the main spindle. The valve is then turned through 90 to admit uid into the cylinder above the piston and exhaust the luid from the cylinder beneath the piston and the fluid so admitted caused the turret `to rise with the tapered surfaces on the driving and driven members mating.

For many purposes the lluid employed in the device is air under pressure but, in some applications of the device, a liquid is used instead of the air. In the lirst form of the device, a coil spring may most conveniently be employed as the resilient element but, if preferred, the cylinder and piston may be of the double acting type shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in which event the resilient element may take the form of quantity of fluid trapped above the piston under pressure. When a fluid is thus used as the resilient element, it may be necessary to connect the space in the cylinder above the piston to an expansion chamber in order that the lluid above the piston may be compressed,

as is necessary when the driving and driven members are' to be separated, without undue effort on the part of the operator.

I claim:

1. A machine for drilling and like operations which comprises a quill, a drive spindle mounted for rotation in the quill, a driving member on the spindle, a tool holder support mounted on the quill for relative movement lengthwise thereof, a tool holder mounted for rotation on the support in axial alignment with the spindle, a driven member on the tool holder, the driving and driven members having tapered surfaces adapted to mate to connect the spindle and holder for rotation in unison, and means for effecting relative movements of the support and the spindle to mate and separate the tapered surfaces on the members and for holding the members with their surfaces mated, said means including lluid-operated means for holding the members with the surfaces mated and said Huid-operated means comprising a cylinder and a piston, one of which is secured to the quill and the other to the tool holder support.

2. 'Ihe machine of claim 1, in which the fluid-operated means is operable to effect relative movements of the support and quill as well as to hold the members with their surfaces mated.

3. The machine of claim 1, in which the cylinder is mounted on the support and the piston is within the cylinder and attached to the quill.

4. The machine of claim 3, which includes means for admitting uid into the cylinder on both sides of `the piston in alternation.

5. The machine of claim 3, which includes a resilient element urging the support and the quill to move relatively to cause the members to approach each other and means for admitting iluid into the cylinder at one side of the piston only, the fluid acting to assist the resilient element in holding the members with their tapered surfaces mated.

6. The machine of claim 3, in which a resilient element acts on one side of the piston and on a part attached to the support, the element urging the piston and support to move to cause the members to mate, and means are provided for admitting iluid into the cylinder at the side of the piston acted on by the resilient element.

7. The machine of claim 3, which includes a valve controlling tlow of the lluid into the cylinder, the valve being biased to allow fluid to flow from a supply line into the cylinder and being operable by the support moving in one direction with the quill to shut off How fnom the supply and to yallow the escape of the fluid from the cylinder.

8. The machine of claim 1, in which the means for effeoting relative movements of the support and the quill and for holding the members with their surfaces mated include a resilient element engaging the quill and the support and tending to move the support and the quill relatively to cause the surfaces to approach each other.

9. The machine of claim l, in which the tool holder support includes a head mounted on the quill for movement lengthwise thereof and a tool holder carrier mounted movably on the head, the carrier having means for carrying a plural-ity of tool holders and being movable to place the holders selectively in `axial alignment with the spindle, and resilient means to urge the support and the quill in opposite directions to cause the driving and driven members to mate.

10. The machine of claim 9, in which the carrier is mounted for rotation on the head and a tubular guide movable in a xed bore and rigidly attached to the head prevents rotation thereof relative to the quill and acts as a fluid passage forming part of the Huid-operated means.

1l. The machine of claim 1, in which the tool holder rests on a self-centering mounting in the support.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,859,644 Watts Nov. 11, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 764,671 Great Britain Dec. 28, 1956 

